Chapter 5 : Ten Days Become One
530 Words
By the time the countdown reached three days, the entire territory felt like it was holding its breath.
Lanterns lined the main path. Fresh banners hung from the hall beams. Even the patrol wolves rotated in tighter shifts.
Lyra tried not to let the tension infect her.
She failed.
She was helping transport supply crates near the eastern storage area when shouting broke out near the outer gate.
Not panicked.
But urgent.
She dropped the crate immediately.
“What happened?” she asked a younger wolf sprinting past.
“Fence line collapsed near the ridge!”
Rowan appeared at her side instantly. “That’s near the lower patrol route.”
Mira was already running. “If that section is exposed, we’ll look careless.”
Lyra didn’t think. She just ran.
By the time they reached the ridge, several warriors were already assessing the damage. A section of the wooden barrier had splintered from rot underneath — something that should have been caught during inspection.
Her father stood near it, expression controlled but tight.
“How long would this have gone unnoticed?” one of the older warriors muttered.
Lyra felt the embarrassment ripple through the group.
If the heirs had arrived and seen this—
It would’ve been humiliating.
Her father turned. “We fix it now.”
No blame. No yelling. Just command.
Warriors moved quickly, but the base beams were heavier than expected. It would take time to cut and secure them properly.
Lyra stepped forward.
“The support angles are wrong,” she said before she could stop herself.
Several heads turned.
One warrior frowned. “This isn’t light work.”
“I know,” she replied. “But if you shift the brace point lower, the weight distributes better.”
Her father’s eyes met hers.
“Show me.”
Her pulse jumped.
She stepped closer, crouching to examine the cracked joint. “If you anchor it here instead of mid-beam, you won’t need as many hands holding the weight.”
A few seconds of silence.
Then her father nodded once. “Do it.”
Rowan and two others repositioned the support as she instructed.
When they lifted the beam again—
It held.
Cleanly.
Steady.
The warriors exchanged surprised looks.
Mira smirked openly.
Her father didn’t smile, but pride flickered briefly across his face.
“Well done,” he said simply.
The words were quiet.
But they landed heavily in her chest.
By sunset, the fence was fully restored.
As they walked back toward the house, Rowan nudged her shoulder.
“You rely on speed,” he mimicked.
She shoved him. “Shut up.”
Mira grinned. “You were impressive.”
Lyra tried to shrug it off, but something warm had settled inside her.
Not extraordinary.
Just capable.
That night, just as they finished dinner, a howl echoed from the outer patrol.
Different from before.
Formal.
Sharp.
Her father stood immediately.
“They’ve crossed into our outer territory.”
Silence filled the room.
“They’ll arrive tomorrow afternoon,” he said.
Tomorrow.
Lyra’s stomach flipped.
It wasn’t anticipation.
It wasn’t fear.
It was something else.
Like standing at the edge of a cliff before jumping.
- Writer
